WASHINGTON -- Friday's mass killing of young innocents and adults at a Connecticut elementary school is generating fresh calls for new laws to keep guns from unstable people. President Barack Obama, who has been criticized by gun control advocates for not dealing with the issue during his first term, or during his re-election campaign, signaled that he's ready to propose action.

"Whether it's an elementary school in Newtown, a shopping mall in Oregon or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago, these neighborhoods is our neighborhoods and these children are our children," Obama said. "And we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."

Multiple petition drives were posted on the White House website calling for an immediate national effort to deal with gun violence.

Before the president spoke emotionally about the Connecticut tragedy, Obama spokesman Jay Carney was asked about a new gun control initiative during his daily briefing.

"I think that day will come, but today's not that day, especially as we are awaiting more information about the situation," Carney said.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who co-chairs a coalition of mayors pushing for federal gun control legislation, said more delay can't be tolerated.

"We heard after Columbine that it was too soon to talk about gun laws," Bloomberg said. "We heard it after Virginia Tech. After Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek. And now we are hearing it again. For every day we wait, 34 more people are murdered with guns. Today, many of them were five-year-olds."

The National Rifle Association hadn't issued a comment on the mass killings as of late Friday.

But other gun rights proponents denounced what they said were attempts to use a terrible tragedy for political advantage on the gun issue.

"You people that use a horrible act of evil to promote your gun control agenda should be ashamed of yourselves," tweeted conservative radio talk show host Dave Ramsey.

A similar tweet was delivered by former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain. "I am disgusted by those who want to get into the politics of today's violence."

But most of the tweets Friday were from people expressing disgust that it's so easy in the United States to buy guns capable of firing bullets rapidly and killing lots of people quickly.

Late Friday afternoon, a crowd assembled outside the White House to rally for new efforts to curb gun violence.

One of the petitions circulated on the Whitehouse.gov website Friday read:

"Every week it seems that we are facing a new headline of mass shootings -- two in the last week alone. The Constitution gives us the right to bear arms and no one wants to take that right away, but we need real gun control reform. Background checks, restricted access to semi-automatic weapons, waiting periods, all need to be part of a robust gun control policy that will allow people to keep their guns but provide a responsible framework to gun ownership."

The petition called on President Obama to take the lead on the isssue.